Alliance of the Golden Milfs
by Tjfarmer
Summary: An Umineko fan-fic that presents a 'what-if' scenario, this 'what-if' being, What if Ange was on the island? The title may be a joke, but the story is trying to be serious. 4th arc spoilers. Written by me, and edited by the lovely Chafo.
1. Ange

"Ange! We're leaving for the airport! Make sure you behave yourself around my parents, okay? Don't forget you're sick, drink plenty of water and get lots of sleep!" Ange's mom yelled.

Yelling was necessary in this case, Ange was forced down the hall, and up the stairs to her temporary room for the next few days. Being confined to a room never stops a young girl though; they always find a way out. For Ange, it only took the split second in-between her grandmother turning her back to empty the clothes that were brought for Ange to make the escape back to the outside.

Kyrie knew very well that Ange was going to do this, so she already had the door shut and barricaded by an 18 year old to lock her in. Kyrie believed that maybe finding out all attempts out were useless would calm the beasts that is her daughter, but she was very wrong. Pound, pound, pound. Ange was beating on the door to try and break through, so everyone on the outside can hear her cries, save for Rudolf who was in the car honking the horn out of boredom, and probably to piss his son off.

"But my fevers gone down! Its gone down!" Ange protested as loud as she could, her family had to hear her.

"Lemme check for you Kyrie, I'll see just how far down her fevers gone."

Battler opened up the door that Ange was now leaning against with a pout on her face. Ange fell to the ground, like most people do when they lean against doors that are going to be opened. Battler squatted down, lifted up his sister, and put his hand on her forehead. Much to his surprise, her fever has dropped! Not that he was a temperature taking expert or anything. It was at 103 degrees the day before, and now it feels as if it's around….. 98 degrees. Quite a drop in temperature for someone that was vomiting and complaining just hours before!

"Eh!? It really has gone down! Come and check for yourself Kyrie!" Battler said, with a very shocked tone of voice.

While Kyrie went to get a thermometer from the medical box her parents kept, Rudolf got out of the car yelling at Battler "Hurry up and get your ass in the car you useless son!" Battler's response was as expected, "Shut up you old man! Just go to a retirement home already!" Then after a few minutes of playful arguing between father and son, ranging from how fast Rudolf gets around, to how big battlers 'elephant' has grown, Kyrie stepped back outside, thermometer in hand. Ange knew the drill already, being constantly sick the last few days, and her life in general, and opened up her mouth for her mother.

It was another boring wait for Battler and Rudolf, mainly Rudolf, but in the end, a temperature of 97 degrees! Ange was perfectly safe to go to the family conference! Well, at that time she was, and if Kyrie allowed her to go, of course. Ange's protests of not wanting to stay at her grandparents' house continued until Kyrie gave in (it took about 5 minutes to get her to that point) and walked inside to talk to her parents.

"Mom, Dad, where are you?"

Simultaneously they both responded "In the kitchen!"

Kyrie grabbed Ange's hand and dragged her along down a hallway or two to the kitchen. Kyrie parents, with a confused look on their face, questioned Kyrie as to what was going on. As promptly as she could (have to hurry up for that impatient husband of hers!), she explained the situation to them, that Ange was as fit as a fiddle and ready to go. Ange's very concerned grandparents doubled, no quadruple checked with Kyrie that it was okay, they already asked Kyrie's sister, Kasumi, to come and help take care of Ange. This was an even more powerful of a reason to take Ange away from her parent's house. Kasumi was the 'evil sister' of the Sumadera family, but to her Kyrie was this 'evil sister' who got all the happiness. Would anyone in their right mind trust their daughter to a crazy relative?

After two minutes of talking it over, Ange's grandmother walked up the stairs. The bags of clothes she just emptied had to be packed again, and then another minute later, came down with some bags of clothing neatly folded and organized into underwear, shirts, and pants. Not that a six year old had many of these things, just a few pairs to last a weekend.

"Well, I guess we're off" Kyrie said as she excused herself from her parent's house, down the hallways, and off into the car.

"Climb in Ange, we've been waiting for an hour already!" yelled an angry, over exaggerating Rudolf. He always got angry easily, but for once his son thought he had all the rights to be angry.

The family of four finally set off, to the airport to surprise the others of not one, but two surprise guests that they hadn't seen coming. The drive seemed to last an hour for those inside, Ange fell asleep on Battlers lap and woke up quite a few times on the way. She was still recovering from her ailment after all. Battler, as afraid of bouncy vehicles as he was, tried to keep his calm in front of his little sister, 'wouldn't it be embarrassing to see your big brother freaking out because of a few bumps in the road?' was the main thought that ran through his mind, 'No idea what to do on the airplane… or the boat also' came to the surface of his mind once in awhile.

The car was filled with silence for the entirety of the drive, nobody inside bothered to question why. Their family might seem happy to others, but there was a small strain in it. Battler left the Ushiromiya family to go live with his maternal grandparents, not Kyrie's, but Asumu's, his biological mom. Kyrie was his dad's second wife, and Battlers step-mom. That's all there really is to it, Asumu died 6 years ago, Rudolf re-married. Just recently Battler 'returned' to the family. The silence for the drive might have been to not disturb Ange during her naps, the three didn't know which. It was an unspoken, mutual agreement between the three to keep quiet.

Once they finally arrived, Rudolf saw a slightly chubby man carrying bags into the airport. Battler didn't know who it was, having been gone for 6 years, but his hold man and Kyrie clearly knew who it was. The man looked too old to be George… and no way was it Krauss, he lived on Rokkenjima…. What was his name again…? Ah well, he'll find out eventually. Can't be that many jiggly people in this family, nobody was really fat in Battlers memory, besides the guy who's name he couldn't recall. Actually, George was slightly chubby, but this man had to dark of skin and looked to old. Unless everyone in the family suddenly put on weight during these six years, which is highly doubtful, they couldn't have been that depressed because of Battlers absence that they ate their angers at him away!

"Wake up, Ange."

"Ange, wake up!"

A few more shouts later, and Ange still wasn't waking up! So, it was time for the last resort! The cruelest thing Battler could ever do to his sister…. Torture her awake…. With tickling! The deadliest weapon of all time for a six year old! It can bring even the strongest child on their knees begging for mercy! The power of being tickled is not to be messed with. His hands were braced and ready for the pounce, and he was slowly moving his hands forward to Ange's stomach, when his plans were ruined! She was awake! Looks like everything didn't go as planned this time. Maybe later today he could team up with Jessica to torture Ange. Hopefully Jessica was still the type of person to play along with such things.

Rubbing her eyes while speaking in a low, whisper like voice, Ange asked "Where are we? On the island?" with a yawn as she was finishing up her sentence. When sleeping, it's impossible to keep track of everything, but even assuming you're on the island is a very unlikely thing!

"No no no, we can't get to the island that fast!" Her big brother answered in a slightly sarcastic tone "But we are at the airport. Now quickly, get outside, we're gonna be late!"

So Ange did, she followed her parents through the sliding doors while Battler was stuck carrying his and her luggage inside. The suitcases full of clothing and other items almost toppled to the ground a few times, but as always Battler was there to save the day! Battler, the hero to all suitcases around the world, a name known to all suitcases, the savior of all! When he finally got inside, someone who looked eerily familiar to him walked up to him.

"George!"

"Battler! Nice to see you again! It's been 6 years, hasn't it? Here, lemme help you carry that luggage."

Battler took him up on that offer, and tried to hand George some of the luggage. Unfortunately for both of them, the hero of all suitcases didn't prevail this time, and the luggage toppled down onto George. Good thing they were only light clothing! They couldn't have hurt that much, but they did knock off his glasses. The moment George's glasses toppled to the ground, Battler thought "Wouldn't it be funny if he says 'My glasses, my glasses, I can't see anything without my glasses!'" Well, thankfully for all of us, George wasn't that type. 6 years ago he wasn't, but it'd sure be ironic now if he was!

After that slapstick mess of dropping and picking up the luggage, Battler looked around to see who was all here, and who he remembered. Kyrie and Rudolf weren't anywhere in his sight was the first thing he noticed. But his remembering was cut short when in a loud voice he heard "Battler, it's been 6 years, look how much ya' grown!" it was yelled by that chubby man he saw earlier. Who was this man…. It was… Rosa's husband…? No, it was…. Oh that's right, Hideyoshi, Eva's husband! He had dark skin, and a balding head.

"Oh my, look its Battler, and Ange! What a surprise, I didn't expect to see either of you here today. I heard Ange was at home sick," said the women who Battler thinks is his Aunt Eva. "You have grown quite a lot! Though you could always grow some more, how about some karate lessons with me and George?"… Hopefully, that was meant to be sarcastic! Tracing through the back of his memories, he could vaguely remember Eva always being the most playful of the adults. But karate of all things! Eva knew martial arts 6 years ago, but she's starting to get old, shouldn't she give it a rest!

"It sure has been awhile Battler, and it's his first time here with Ange too!" Said… who was that now? Rosa! Yes, Aunt Rosa! Who else could it be? The youngest of all Battlers aunts, age still unknown, most women don't let their age out anyway it seems. Her long hair was straightened to perfection, and she was smiling at Battler.

The pint-sized girl over there that Ange is talking to must be... Maria? That's the first name that comes to mind, Rosa's daughter. Maria and Ange are so close in age that they must get along well, it's always hard to get along with someone nearly 10 years older than you, and so whenever Ange isn't here it must be a big drag for Maria. The children kept talking, and Battler overheard a bit of their conversation.

"Uu- Ange!"

"Maria!"

Seeing them talk made both Rosa and Battler chuckle a little, it's always so cute to see young people talk.

"Where's Sakutarou Maria? Is he in your bag?"

A look of displeasure swept across Maria's face, and Rosa rushed in saying that Sakutarou was left at home by accident today. Ange might not have realized the lie Rosa was spreading, but Maria and Battler understood. Who was this 'sakutarou' and why did Rosa react so…. Upset about it? Well, all in due time, all in due time. It was quite a mystery to Battler, but it didn't seem too terribly important.

Kyrie, who seemed to mysteriously disappear when Battler was inside came up to him and handed him two tickets, one for himself and one for Ange. The plane to the harbor was about to set off, they really did arrive late, Battler had hardly any time to mingle with his cousins! Well, only George and Maria where here, the only cousins missing was Jessica, but she lived on the island.

Rudolf stepped out of the bathroom with George just as Battler told Ange our tickets were here. Rudolf walked over to the sofa for waiting people and yawned. George headed over to his parents, with his hand in his pocket fondling with what looked like a small box. Battler couldn't help but get interested by this box! It was way more interesting then this 'sakutarou' thing!

When Kyrie looked at the clock, and noticed the time, she rushed us all out to the landing area to the private Ushiromiya family jet. Kyrie as usual, was on top of things. Standing next to the… plane…. Very jumpy plane was a ticket taker who was yelling out the passengers names. Ticket taking must not be a very exciting job, but money is money in any age.

"Eva Ushiromiya"

Eva didn't pick up her luggage, and just walked up into the plane. Was she going to leave her luggage behind? She smiled at her husband and son before taking her seat in the plane.

"Hideyoshi Ushiromiya"

Hideyoshi picked up to suitcases, Battler assumed one was Eva's and the others his. Was Eva always the type to rely on her husband to carry her stuff? Ah well, doesn't matter. Hideyoshi went up the steps to the inside of the plane and took the seat closest to Eva.

"George Ushiromiya"

George picked up his luggage, and climbed in after his father in mother. Battler never noticed before now that George looked very similar to both his parents. His face is a shape in-between Hideyoshi's roundness, and Eva's slight pointy-ness. His dark hair came from his father; George would look weird with Eva's reddish-orange hair color.

"Rosa Ushiromiya"

Rosa picked up both hers and Maria's luggage and climbed up the steps, but stopped at the door. She was probably waiting for Maria; she is a nice mother to do that for her daughter.

"Maria Ushiromiya"

Maria climbed up the steps in a very cute way, with a sort of skip while saying her catchphrase "uu-uu!", which Rosa told her to stop doing as Maria was halfway up the flight of stairs.. She met with Rosa on the top of the steps, and they both went inside to take their seats.

"Rudolf Ushiromiya"

Rudolf left his luggage behind and climbed the steps inside. Old man was probably gonna leave his luggage for Kyrie. His face was already in a window with a smirk on it, staring outside at Battler. The old man would do that.

"Kyrie Ushiromiya"

Kyrie ushered herself in, carrying both hers and Rudolf's clothes. She really was the perfect wife, always doing what her husband wanted. Sometimes Rudolf does take it too far though. Kyrie, like Hideyoshi, took the closest seat to her husband.

"Battler Ushiromiya"

Battler picked up his and Ange's luggage; it was a nice thing to do. A six year old might have difficulty carrying herself and a suitcase up those steps. Battler waited by the door until the man outside called;

"Ange Ushiromiya"

Ange registered the fact her name was said last, and climbed up the steps to meet Battler. Following him and trusting him completely, she was led to her seat. All seats in this plane were window seats, which meant that Battler could see all the way down to where he knew, just KNEW the plane would spiral to their death. Planes were so much worse than cars, at least to most people, but to Battler, planes were absolute terror. Everyone thinks they're safer on the land than high up in the sky.

The plane took off, and excessive amounts of screaming from Battler ensued. Everyone laughed, even Ange, how embarrassing! Maria was even edging Battler on, "Fall, Fall, Fall!" she says.

"Hopefully I don't fall; I'd rather fall off the boat, as least I could swim to the island that way!" yelled a very frightened Battler.

Eva kept teasing Battler more than Rudolf and Maria combined, she was pressuring him to take a plane trip all the way to Egypt! Egypt of all places! That trip would last forever…. In a very bumpy…. Scary plane…. Shuddering at the thought, Battler screamed at Eva "No, anything but that! Please noooo, anything but that!" His old man kept saying it'd do him good to get over his fear.

The plane trip lasted for a half hour, or maybe an hour. The ride was filled with laughter, mainly at Battler. If the family could be happy for the next few hours, maybe they can say they lived a very happy life.


	2. Natsuhi

A lady with reddish-brown hair was walking down a long hallway, opening curtains. A painful look was on her face. With each curtain she opened, sunlight would shine in and make her headache worse. She had to deal with the pain; the house had to look pretty for the guests that will be arriving. Sunshine makes everything look better, but it doesn't look like it would last, the lady could see clouds on the horizon moving towards the island. News reports said a typhoon was approaching, looks like once again they were correct with their predictions. If the typhoon was going to come today, the guests will be trapped for the weekend, making the lady let out a sigh. For two days everything had to be its best.

This lady's name was Natsuhi Ushiromiya. She was the wife of the eldest son to the Ushiromiya family, Krauss. The two have been married for around thirty years, and they've had their fair share of troubles. She came from a family of Shinto priests, and was expected to be the bearer of the next head to the family, but thing did not go according to plan. For twelve years of her marriage, she failed to bear a child, and was looked down upon by her father-in-law Kinzo, and a sister-in-law Eva, who had a child a few years before she did.

Her grief of failing at getting pregnant finally turned into happiness as she got pregnant with her first and only child, Jessica Ushiromiya. Krauss and Natsuhi were overjoyed once news of her pregnancy came about. After years of trying, Natsuhi can finally say she could have a child to love. Eighteen years have passed since then, and now Jessica was a growing adult, graduating high school come spring. Nothing is better than watching your child grow, even if they don't act like they should.

With all the love in her heart intended, Natsuhi tried her best to raise Jessica by herself, as Krauss was always too busy with his father. Even with all the effort she put in, Jessica grew up in an unexpected way for Natsuhi. Jessica had a sharp-tongue, using words unbefitting of a young lady, and occasionally wore some outfits not acceptable for going out. All these wonderful dresses were bought for Jessica, but she opted for short-skirts and ties for her outfit. Once she started wearing these outfits, Natsuhi was upset, and yelled at her daughter for it.

Jessica always took her mother's concern for her as an annoyance, and now they have trouble getting along with each other. Natsuhi's love for her daughter was a strong one, but a reasonable one. Jessica had a heavy burden on her; she had to find the right man to marry, a good man that could be the next head of family. The Ushiromiya family was heavily a male-oriented family, where the females could not be the heads, but their spouses. It was unfortunate to Krauss that their first child had to be a daughter, but to Natsuhi a daughter was a much more favorable outcome. Both parents love grew for her, even if she couldn't be the head.

The time for Jessica to find a suitable spouse was fast-approaching, Krauss and Kinzo both wanted the next head to be found immediately, but Natsuhi demands Jessica to further her education as well. Much to Natsuhi's dislike, Jessica has shrugged off her studies, and is even forming a noticeable crush on one of the servants. Natsuhi tries her best to keep the two separated, ordering the boy to opposite ends of the house, and Jessica back to her room for school-related reasons. The servant boy doesn't seem to mind not being near her, but having a teenage girl who wants him to be hers can be a very bad thing.

Natsuhi finally managed to finish all the curtains on this hallway, but as she turned the corner she ran into her daughter. She was wearing her usual attire, a skirt, a shirt, and a tie. Her dyed blonde hair was in a pony tail. Jessica's eyes widened when she ran into her mother, not expecting her to be there, and then they turned a little melancholic looking after seeing her mother with a depressed face, and an awkward conversation between mother and daughter began.

"Oh, mom… I was just going down to the harbor to go meet with Kumasawa. I'm going with her to the mainland to get some shopping done… okay?" Jessica phrased it in a way to make it sound like a question, when it was more of an assertion

"…Kumasawa can get the shopping done herself. Go back to your room and change your clothes, the guests will be arriving soon."

Jessica acquiesced to her mother's demand to go back to her room. Natsuhi's headache was very noticeable, and Jessica didn't want to argue with Natsuhi when she looked as bad as she did. For nineteen years now, Natsuhi has been suffering from constant headaches, and she has tried multiple forms of medicines. From teas that are meant to calm you, to pills, and none of them have worked to her advantage. It was really troublesome for her, but she had learned to accept it for what it was, a constant annoyance that hindered her efforts at everything.

Natsuhi set off to another hallway to open more curtains. After opening a few more curtains, and seeing the quickly approaching storm, her headache grew increasingly worse, so she retired from her job and went to the kitchen. After five minutes of walking through this huge mansion, she arrived in the kitchen to make some of this new tea that's meant to help with headaches. She knew it would be to no avail, but there is no harm in trying. It was one of the few brands she has yet to try.

In the kitchen were two of the five servants currently on the island. Kanon, and Shannon. Both were still at a young age, some may say to young of an age to be a servant. Just as Natsuhi instructed them, they were cleaning and organizing the kitchen. Guests are never meant to see the kitchen, but if everything was ready, the chef could easily and quickly prepare meals. A quick serving was important , people always like to enjoy food when they first arrive somewhere.

"…Shannon, please prepare some of that new tea…"

Shannon fumbled about for a second, like she always does, and searched for the tea. She remembered seeing the box just a few minutes ago, but had no idea where it had gone since then. Just as Natsuhi was about to yell at Shannon for not being prepared, Kanon dug out the tea and set it on the counter. The tea was put away by Kanon moments before Natsuhi came in, under the bottom cupboard left of the sink.

"Thank you Kanon, now please make it for me… I'm going to go finish up the curtains."

Natsuhi left the kitchen, and the servant duo started to get the tea ready. Natsuhi always took out her troubles on Shannon and Kanon, and was always quick to jump on the two for not being the best servants possible. She always thought that having sixteen year old servants was a bad idea, but Kinzo himself had requested for these two to be servants. They were both orphans, and they came from an orphanage than Kinzo had helped rise from the ground. Many of the servants for the household came from this orphanage, but some outsiders were hired. Kumasawa and Genji were two of these people, who have been working here since the island was bought out and mansion built. Gohda, the most recent hire, was a chef who came from a hotel that had some recent turmoil going on.

While Kanon and Shannon were finishing up the tea preparation, the phone rang. The phone hardly ever rings in this house, and when it does, it's usually bad news. Generally, it was bad news from Jessica's school about her getting into a brawl with a one of her classmates, however this bad news was going to be different, and it was the weekend after all. Kanon left Shannon to finish the job, and he answered the phone that was in the kitchen.

"Yes?"

"Hello? Is this Kanon? I need to talk to Natsuhi, its Kyrie."

Kyrie was one of the expected guests to be coming in a few hours for the family conference. Kanon could barely recognize the voice, she, like most other family members, only come for a day out of each year. All servants could remember the names of each family member though; they meet only a few people that the names tend to stick out.

Kanon put the phone on hold, and went outside the kitchen and into the hallways to find Natsuhi, her majesty. Natsuhi was already on the other side of the mansion, opening up the curtains. Kanon traced her trail by following the hallways, and eventually found her halfway down the hallway on the left side of the mansion. She, like always, had another look of displeasure on her face after opening another curtain.

"Milady, you have a phone call."

"…Who is it?"

"It is Kyrie."

Acknowledging it was someone of importance, she returned to the kitchen that now smelled like tea. The phone was left on the counter by Kanon, and Shannon was next to it sweetening the tea with some sugar. Steam was coming out of the tea, and it was freshly made, ready for the drinker. Natsuhi picked up the phone and spoke into it, hoping for it to be good news.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Natsuhi, its Kyrie speaking. I have to inform you that Ange will be attending the conference after-all. Sorry for the inconvenience of this last minute call, but I myself just found out that Ange was no longer sick. I'm calling from the airport; the boarding will begin in a few minutes. Sorry to end this call abruptly, but I still need to buy our tickets. See you in an hour."

Kyrie hung up, and Natsuhi's headache grew worse. This was a rather frustrating situation. Just yesterday the family was informed that Ange won't be attending, and the preparation for her absence was already made. Originally food for nineteen people was planned, but before the servants went shopping the call about her absence was made, so they had only bought food for eighteen people. Now this, more food was needed for this extra person who wasn't meant to come. This conference was turning into a huge hassle as always.

It was hard to think with a raging headache, but Natsuhi remembered that Kumasawa was going to head out to the mainland to get some shopping done. Hoping she hadn't left yet, Natsuhi walked to the front door, past the painting of Beatrice, and into the rose garden. Gohda, the chef, was attending to something in the rose garden, but Natsuhi paid him no mind and continued down the rose garden, and onto the steps.

She nearly tripped once or twice; it was rather hard to walk in the dress she was wearing. It was nice purple attire, which contrasted with her green jewelry. The only thing her outfit was missing; the families crest for the Ushiromiya's, a one-winged eagle. Everyone but the spouses were allowed to wear the golden outline of a birds wing, not having one was a status symbol of being of minor importance. When even servants could wear it, the insult of not wearing it weighed heavily on Natsuhi's heart, who has been with this family the majority of her life.

The harbor was at the end of the steps, and Kumasawa was just boarding it, along with her daughter, Jessica. It was irritating, to have a daughter who said she'd do what you ask, and do the opposite. Natsuhi was angry with her daughter, but the shopping was now a little more important than that. Kumasawa got called off of the boat by Natsuhi, and Jessica put up a little awkward of a face at the sight of her mother.

Jessica ducked below the line of sight for her mother, hoping she wouldn't be seen, however it was too late for that. Her mother clearly saw her walking up the boat, with Kumasawa trailing shortly behind her. It wouldn't be a lie to say that Jessica was slightly afraid of the reaction Natsuhi would've had at the sight of her daughter going against her back.

"Kumasawa, I just heard that Ange will be attending this meeting after all…. While you're out shopping, please pick up some extra food…"

"Ohohoho, is little Ange feeling better?"

Natsuhi explained all the necessary ingredients for Gohda's meals, and whispered into Kumasawa's ear (so that Jessica won't hear) to make sure Jessica doesn't do anything unbefitting of her out in public. Kumasawa left with her trademark laugh "ohohoho" and went back on the boat. Natsuhi watched the boat leave towards the onslaught of darkening clouds, and left to go back to the mansion.

The dark, stormy clouds were drawing even closer, and Natsuhi let out another sigh. It looked like opening all the curtains was a pointless endeavor. Without being rushed this time, Natsuhi climbed back up the steps, and returned to the rose garden. The Rose garden was one of the mansions best aspects. It was a beautiful acre of well maintained roses, with very few of them being dead. Each dying rose was plucked by a servant like a weed, and tossed aside to keep its perfection. Gohda was no longer doing what he was in the garden, but Natsuhi had to search for him to inform him of this unexpected guest as well.

The most likely place a chef would be was in the kitchen. Making her way back to the kitchen, walking through the room that held the painting of the witch of the island, she returned to the kitchen, and all the servants except Genji were inside. Shannon and Kanon were back to re-arranging the shelf's, and Gohda was giving them commands in a slightly pompous manner. Put this there, and make sure you dust that off, he sounded like Natsuhi at times.

"Gohda, you will have to prepare one extra serving for the family now. An unexpected guest is going to arrive with the others."

Again with his pompous voice, Gohda said it was of no trouble. He bowed, and left the kitchen. The troubles of the day finally caught up to Natsuhi, so she sat down on one of the chairs in the kitchen, and rubbed her temples. Seeing this, Shannon was reminded of the tea that was left on the counter. Steam was no longer coming out of tea, but it was still perfectly drinkable.

"Milady, here is your tea."

Shannon set the tea down on the table next to Natsuhi. Forgetting the tea almost completely, Natsuhi thanked Shannon and picked it up. After taking a sip of the tea, Natsuhi unfortunately found out that it was lukewarm. Tea that is lukewarm isn't the best treat in the world, and Natsuhi was very, very upset with it.

"…Shannon, this tea is lukewarm."

"I-I'm sorry, I'll prepare a new batch."

"Yes, please, tea should not be lukewarm, please learn that. You always serve up lukewarm tea."

What Natsuhi didn't realize, was that the tea was only lukewarm because she was busy with other things. The tea was ready for quite awhile, since before Kyrie called, but Natsuhi had run out to the dock before Shannon could tell her the tea was ready. Natsuhi set the tea back down on the table, let out a sigh, and went back into the hallways.

After she had left, Kanon put his arms around Shannon's back and said "Don't worry, we won't be furniture for much longer."

* * *

Natsuhi took a detour, and went back into her room. It was her room, for Krauss and she no longer sleep together. They hadn't slept in the same room for nearly 16 years, and Natsuhi still doesn't know why. The signs that love between them were still present, but sometimes Natsuhi had to dig deep into herself to see that Krauss still loves her.

The room was a lonely one, but everything was nice and neat. Cleaning her room was one of the only things Natsuhi could do without getting a headache from, and she enjoyed it. The one thing in this room she enjoyed the most was something in her dresser hidden under a few clothes. The item was a mirror that was given to her by her family before she was wedded to Krauss. It was a small mirror, but every time she looked at it, nostalgia would come to her, about her life before joining the Ushiromiya's, the mirror was always with her, from when she first heard news about her pregnancy, and even today.

Natsuhi took out the mirror, and looked into it. Sometimes it seemed like the mirror had the power to put you in a trance. When she looked into the mirror this time, her headache almost instantly vanished as she let out her first smile for the day. When Jessica gets married, just like what her parents did for her, Natsuhi wants to give her daughter the mirror. Eventually, it might turn into a family tradition, and a chuckle escaped from her mouth at the thought of that.

The stress of the day finally caught up with Natsuhi, and she collapsed onto her bed. She closed her eyes, and fell off into a sleep that if was seen, she would be scorned by the guests. In her brief half-hour-long sleep, she had a dream about the family conference going perfectly this year. The thing about dreams is, they usually don't come true.


	3. Kyrie

"Hello? Is this Kanon? I need to talk to Natsuhi, its Kyrie."

The servant boy put the phone on hold, and Kyrie started tapping her feet. She wasn't an impatient person, but they were in a rush. They of course were her family, Rudolf, Battler, and Ange. The four person family had arrived late to the airport, and the boarding onto the private plane would begin in a matter of minutes. The reason behind them being late was her daughter, who came back from a sickness that lasted a brief day. The short lived day had its fair share of vomiting and diarrhea, with a fever on top. When these three symptoms had all stopped, it became clear that Ange was only suffering from the one-day flu.

Ange was Kyrie's pride and joy, she was her first child, but she should've been her second. Eighteen years ago, Kyrie was pregnant with Rudolf's baby. At the same time, Asumu, Rudolf's first wife, now six years dead, was also pregnant, with Battler. This situation put the three in quite the conundrum, two women were pregnant at the same time, and both wanted Rudolf.

Rudolf had been seeing both Asumu and Kyrie for some time, and as Battler would say, he couldn't keep it in his pants. Kyrie was the first of the two to start seeing Rudolf; Asumu came a few months after. Once they both got pregnant, word of the other lover had reached their ears. Asumu set out to destroy Kyrie and Rudolf's relationship, and she did so. Nine months passed, and both of Rudolf's lovers went into labor on the same day.

In the end, Rudolf chose Asumu, but it wasn't out of love. The reason behind Rudolf's choice was the status of her baby, alive. Kyrie's child was a stillborn, and Asumu's a healthy young boy. With Rudolf now with Asumu, Kyrie was sent back depressed to the Sumadera family. She didn't hate her family, but she wanted to get away from them. Kyrie was raised in a relaxed way, which is the reason behind her current demeanor today. Even with the relaxed way of growing up, Kyrie still had a lot of duties ahead of her.

Kyrie, the first born child to the family, was expected to be in an arranged marriage. Kyrie didn't like the man she was expected to marry, but he came from a wealthy family, and the Sumadera family was in need of some financial aid. Luckily for Kyrie, Asumu died and Kyrie married Rudolf before she had to wed the wealthy man. The duty to be in an arranged marriage was passed onto her young sister, Kasumi.

Kasumi was very angry with her marriage. Kyrie's brother-in-law seemed like a nice guy, but the lack of freedom attacked Kasumi's mental state. It had noticeably deteriorated with each year that passed in the now five year marriage. Kyrie's sister was now the type of person that would go frantic at the thought of happiness. The jealousy of seeing her older sister living a happy life was hard, and now her resentment towards the world was at its greatest.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Natsuhi, its Kyrie speaking. I have to inform you that Ange will be attending the conference after-all. Sorry for the inconvenience of this last minute call, but I myself just found out that Ange was no longer sick. I'm calling from the airport; the boarding will begin in a few minutes. Sorry to end this call abruptly, but I still need to buy our tickets. See you in an hour."

After a few seemingly long minutes, the phone was finally answered by Natsuhi, just like Kyrie had requested. Kyrie felt bad about having to possibly throw the house into turmoil. It couldn't be helped though; preparations for Ange's arrival had to be made. Kyrie abruptly hung up the phone, and set off to go by the tickets.

The counter to buy the tickets was on the opposite side of the terminal. The plane was setting off in five minutes, if her clock was right. The tickets were $10 each, so forty in total was spent just to get to the conference. Money was turning into an issue for Rudolf and his family. Some legal disputes had occurred over in America, and now the need for the family inheritance was at its greatest.

The Ushiromiya family is a very rich one, but word has it that it's even richer than some people know. Hidden gold supposedly exists, and this gold could very well save the entire family from debts, if it could be found. There is little doubt among the family whether the gold exists, if they didn't believe in it, why would they all go after it? The only hint to the gold's location is the epitaph under the portrait of a lady by the name of Beatrice.

This Beatrice was a foreigner, with natural blonde hair and blue eyes. Little is known about her, except for the fact that she bestowed upon Kinzo a large sum of gold. This gold was later hidden by Kinzo, and no proof other than word of mouth existed. Each of Kinzo's four children had their own need for this gold. Some needed the money itself, and some wanted what the money represented. What the tons of gold represented was headship, whoever has the money is in charge.

Kyrie wasn't interested in the money, what she was interested in was the well-being of her husband. She was happy enough without the money, but if she could find this gold, maybe things would start to look brighter for Rudolf. Kyrie was one of the best wives a man could have; she was always ready to do what her husband wanted. Rudolf also grew to rely on her for advice, and she was practically in charge of whatever Rudolf did.

Kyrie finally got the tickets in hand, and went to go find the kids to hand them out. Battler was talking with Rosa and watching Maria and Ange. Kyrie and Battler didn't have a mother-son relationship, but they had more of a sibling relationship. Battler looked up to Kyrie, but not as a mom. It was a natural reaction, for anyone it would be hard to accept your step-mother as your own mom.

After handing her step-son two tickets, she put the other two for her and Rudolf in her pocket, and walked over to Eva and Hideyoshi. The couple had a serious face on; they were clearly talking about the inheritance. Kyrie didn't know why the two needed the money, but now was the time to find out.

"Ooh, Kyrie! Ya' ready to get on the plane?" said Hideyoshi, who was clearly hiding what they were just conversing about. The message was clear, that the matter was of no importance to Kyrie. Message sent, and received. Kyrie left the two to their business after answering Hideyoshi's question. Her husband had just come out of the bathroom, and George was heading to his parents side.

Taking a glance down at her watch, Kyrie noticed the time and ushered her husband off the couch. After her husband, she grabbed the kids and took them out to the landing deck. At the deck, there was a ticket taker, who called up everyone. Rudolf walked up the steps after Maria and before Kyrie. He left his bag for Kyrie to take up, taking advantage of his wife's kindness as always. Kyrie didn't mind though, it's just some light luggage.

Kyrie took her seat behind Rudolf on this all-window seat plane. Ange came in, and shortly after so did Battler. The plane took off, and started flying them to their destination. Battler started freaking out about the bumpy plane. And Eva and Maria teamed up to make fun of him. The ride was a fun one, but out the windows you could see gray clouds and fleeting sunshine.

The trip overfilled with laughter ended as the plane landed near the harbor. Eva picked up hers and Hideyoshi's luggage, the opposite of when they were boarding. George stopped and asked Rosa if he could take hers and Maria's luggage with him, but Rosa said it was okay. After those three left, Rudolf headed out without taking his suitcase again, and Battler followed with Ange's and his. Now only Kyrie, Rosa, and Maria were left on the plane. Rosa looked like she was in no rush, and she was even saying something to Maria. Kyrie paid it no mind, and grabbed hers and Rudolf's luggage and left the plane.

About 30 seconds after Kyrie stepped out, Rosa and her daughter made her appearance. From the airport, the family all took separate taxis until they arrived at the dock, where they would then take a boat to Rokkenjima. Battler took a taxi with Rosa, Maria, and George. Kyrie shared a taxi with Eva, Hideyoshi, and Rudolf. Once they all arrived at the harbor, a blonde-haired young girl was waiting for them.


	4. Jessica

"Shannon, do you think Kanon likes me?"

"I doooo~nnt knooowww"

Jessica and her best friend, and faithful servant to the household for ten years, Shannon, were sitting on Jessica's bed. The two had formed a bond of friendship over the last ten years, and they both now consider themselves best friends. Shannon hasn't met anyone else near her age and gender since she was six, and bonding immediately with Jessica was understandable. Jessica also hadn't been best friends with many people before, and her personality may scare a few people away.

"Ehh? Why the tone? You know something don't you!? Tell me!"

Of course Jessica figured Shannon knew something, even she could tell Kanon probably did like her just with the way Shannon said "I don't know", but it was always fun to keep a conversation up. Kanon had been working at the house for a few years himself, and just like with Shannon, Jessica made a bond with him, even if Kanon didn't give off the vibe of wanting one. Kanon was the silent type, kind of angst-y looking, but Jessica just thought he was contemplating a lot of things. He, like Shannon, was an orphan, and it's a pretty common of a situation for an Orphan to grow up depressed.

"Oooh, look at the time. I just have to go and clean the kitchen. Natsuhi requested me and Kanon to do it soon."

Shannon, who clearly was avoiding the subject, dashed out of the room in a hurry, leaving Jessica alone. All Jessica wanted to know was if her affections were returned! Shannon and she always have this conversation, and Shannon always avoids the answer. Jessica always approaches the subject the same way, by easing it in by bringing up George. George and Shannon had been seeing each other for awhile, and Jessica even played match-maker a little by spurring Shannon into going after George. They both shared a mutual love, but the only problem was George's mother, who would never let the two get anywhere if she ever found it.

Jessica let out a sigh, and got up off her bed. Her room was large, big enough for an entire battle to take place! There was a closet full of dresses, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and a huge bed big enough for three people. She didn't really care about the size of the room; in fact she would've preferred a smaller one than a huge, boring one. She would toss everything aside to get a smaller room, well everything but the inhaler in her drawer.

Jessica was born with weak bronchi, and frequently suffers from asthma attacks. At times they can get so bad; she thinks she'll die because of an asthma attack. This would happen, if she didn't have her inhaler though. Her asthma usually gets to her at the worst possible times, when she cries. Jessica doesn't cry often, she tries not to. But when she does, it's always followed by an attack. Maybe it was the fear of dying from crying that made her try her hardest not to.

The loneliness of the room drove her out into the hallway. Outside in the hallway was one of the servants, Kumasawa Chiyo, and elderly short lady. She was always doing her best for her age, and still had an aura of youthfulness about her. She was always the first one to crack a joke, usually about mackerel. She also had a trademark laugh, ohohoho, which she could make sound incredibly creepy during the right moment.

"Ohohoho, Good morning, Lady Jessica. I've prepared some coffee sweetened with mackerel for a good wake-up call"

"..I think I'm good."

Jessica avoided that coffee like the plague, it might've been a joke, but it wouldn't be that surprising of a thing for Kumasawa to flavor coffee with fish. Mackerel is the end-all cure for everything, at least to her. Mackerel is the secret to everything, bigger breasts, eternal youth, and whatever else Kumasawa can decide it does. She was one of the people that kept the house interesting at least; some of the other servants just aren't lively enough to keep Jessica entertained.

"Ohohoho, well I must excuse myself, I have to go to the mainland to get some last-minute shopping done."

Jessica liked to take every opportunity to get off this island that she could, and a prime chance to get off just presented itself. Rokkenjima is a cage, you might be able to get back out, but you always get pulled back in. If it wasn't for her parents, she would leave as soon as possible. But this house was where the next head had to stay, so Jessica and her possible future husband will remain here. It was a saddening ordeal, but staying on this island meant she could be with her best friend and Kanon, and it would also be a sad thing to leave them behind.

"Kumasawa, can I come with you?"

"Ohohoho, are you sure your mother will allow it?"

That's right, her mother, Natsuhi. A strict mom, who only tries to raise her daughter well, Jessica had her fair share of trouble getting along with her because of this. Through all of the arguing they have, they both have a little glimmer of love for the other. It was hard not to have love for the women who gave birth to you, as much as some people tried to hate them. Jessica let out a frustrated sigh, which sounded a bit like yelling.

"I'll go tell her then…"

Jessica set off down the hallway, and Kumasawa stood watching her while thinking to herself. Kumasawa has a lot of habits, and watching people is one of the worst. She does learn her fair share of hidden secrets maybe she could even hold it against people? She wouldn't gain much even if she did this though, so that's why she never did.

Going up and down the hallways, Jessica eventually came across her mother. Even though she was looking for her, Jessica didn't expect to find her so soon, and it startled her a little.

"Oh, mom… I was just going down to the harbor to go meet with Kumasawa. I'm going with her to the mainland to get some shopping done… okay?" Jessica phrased it in a way to make it sound like a question, when it was more of an assertion

"…Kumasawa can get the shopping done herself. Go back to your room and change your clothes, the guests will be arriving soon."

Jessica didn't want to raise a fight, and she walked back to her room. Her plan wasn't to go back to her room however, her mom wouldn't notice if she was or wasn't at home. She walked the direction to her room to throw her mom off; it'd be suspicious to go the opposite direction. After she was out of sight from Natsuhi, Jessica turned to go outside. She climbed down a flight of stairs, and walked into the room that held the portrait of Beatrice. Her attention was always drawn to Beatrice each time she walked past it, this time was no exception. Jessica walked towards the painting, and when she was in reading distance, she read what was under the portrait.

My beloved hometown, the Sweetfish River running through it.  
You, who seek the Golden Land, follow its path downstream and seek the key.

If you follow the river downstream, you will find a village.  
In the village, look for the shore the two will tell you of.  
There sleeps the key to the Golden Land.

He who lays hand upon the key shall travel under the rules below.

At the first twilight, you shall lift up as sacrifice the six chosen by the key.  
At the second twilight, those who remain shall tear apart the two who are close.  
At the third twilight, those who remain shall praise my honorable name on high.  
At the fourth twilight, gouge the head and kill.  
At the fifth twilight, gouge the chest and kill.  
At the sixth twilight, gouge the stomach and kill.  
At the seventh twilight, gouge the knee and kill.  
At the eighth twilight, gouge the leg and kill.  
At the ninth twilight, the witch shall be revived and none shall be left alive.  
At the tenth twilight, the journey shall end and you should reach the village of gold.

The witch will praise the wise, and should bestow four treasures.  
One shall be, all the gold from the Golden Land.  
One shall be, the resurrection of the souls of all the dead.  
One shall be, even the resurrection of the lost love.  
One shall be, to put the witch to sleep for all time.

Sleep peacefully, my most beloved witch, Beatrice.

The epitaph always made Jessica shudder, particularly the lines bout the 'twilights'. No one in this house knows what it means, but many of the family members think it leads the way to the hidden gold. The portrait had been put up the year before last, around the same time Kinzo locked himself up in his room. Since that time, Jessica hasn't seen her grand-father, but with this portrait, she's constantly reminded of him.

"Ohohoho, We best get a move on Lady Jessica."

Kumasawa suddenly appeared from the front garden, probably doing her usual 'spying' on people. Jessica wanted to talk with Kumasawa about Beatrice, but the two were in a rush. They walked through the rose garden, and Gohda was in their attending to something.

"Have a safe trip, milady."

"Ya, ya, I will! Later."

Jessica gave a little wave to Gohda, who then bowed in return. The two went down the long flight of steps to the beach, and arrived at the dock. The boat wasn't there.

"Ohohoho, looks like we're actually a little early, I called for the boat about 15 minutes ago. They're a little slow today."

After Kumasawa's statement, the boat came into their line of sight. The boat was coming from a dark collection of clouds, and you could tell rain was approaching. The boat docked at the little harbor, and Jessica started climbing on. The sound of footsteps was resonating in the area, and then Jessica heard her mother's voice, calling Kumasawa down. Jessica instantly ducked, but it was to no avail. Her mother had already seen her. Kumasawa stepped off the boat, and Jessica overheard some of their conversation.

"Kumasawa, I just heard that Ange will be attending this meeting after all…. While you're out shopping, please pick up some extra food…"

"Ohohoho, is little Ange feeling better?"

Then, Natsuhi whispered something, but Jessica couldn't hear it. Kumasawa came back up to the boat, and walked towards the captain who was sitting in front of the steer. The boat then took off, and Kumasawa then came back outside. The mainland was about 15 minutes away, and they were moving towards an onslaught of clouds.

"Kumasawa, do you think I should buy my mom something?"

Kumasawa let out a little smile and said "Why yes, I do think it would be a kind gesture. If you can't think of anything, a mackerel is always a good gift."

The boat continued towards the clouds, and Jessica thought up gifts she could buy for her mom. Her mother always loved tea, and the store certainly had that. But there's also various other things the store could sell that her mother might like. Anything would be fine; Natsuhi would be delighted to get a gift from her daughter in any situation. Jessica wanted to get the best she could, and her thinking of what to get continued.


End file.
